Transport Vehicle and Transport Facility

ABSTRACT

A transport vehicle ( 2 ) that travels along a container shelf ( 1 ) is provided with a plurality of levels of shelf portions ( 11 ) arranged in a vertical direction (Z) and configured to support containers (W), thereby transporting the containers (W). The transport vehicle ( 2 ) is provided with a support region where a container (W) is supported, a first transfer apparatus ( 23 ) that inserts/takes the container (W) into/out of the container shelf ( 1 ), and a second transfer apparatus ( 24 ) that loads/unloads the container (W) on/from the support region. The second transfer apparatus ( 24 ) is configured such that a container (W) can be moved to the support region so as to allow a plurality of the containers (W) to be supported in a stacked state in the support region.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a transport vehicle that travels alonga front face of a container shelf provided with a plurality of levels ofshelf portions arranged in the vertical direction and configured tosupport containers, thereby transporting the containers, and alsorelates to a transport facility provided with a plurality of suchtransport vehicles.

BACKGROUND ART

An example of the above sort of transport facility is described in JP2004-277062A (Patent Document 1). A transport vehicle provided in thetransport facility of Patent Document 1 is provided with a transferrobot 6 that inserts/takes a container into/out of a container shelf.When performing container transport, the transport vehicle uses thetransfer robot 6 to remove the container from the container shelf whilethe transport vehicle is in a state stopped in front of the containershelf, and travels to the front of another container shelf in a statewhere the transfer robot 6 is supporting the container, and then storesthe container being supported by the transfer robot 6 on that othercontainer shelf.

PRIOR ART DOCUMENTS Patent Documents

-   Patent Document 1: JP 2004-277062A

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION Problems to be Solved by the Invention

When performing container transport, the above-described transportvehicle travels in a state where the transfer robot 6 is supporting acontainer that was removed from a container shelf, so only one containercan be transported at a time. Therefore, it is not possible toefficiently transport containers to container shelves using thistransport vehicle, or to efficiently transport containers from containershelves using this transport vehicle.

Consequently, realization of a transport vehicle that can efficientlytransport containers, and a transport facility provided with a pluralityof such transport vehicles, is desired.

Means for Solving Problems

A transport vehicle according to the present disclosure travels along afront face of a container shelf provided with a plurality of levels ofshelf portions arranged in a vertical direction and configured tosupport containers, thereby transporting the containers.

The containers are configured to be stackable in the vertical direction.The transport vehicle is provided with a support region where thecontainer is supported, a first transfer apparatus that inserts/takesthe container into/out of the container shelf, and a second transferapparatus that loads/unloads the container on/from the support region.The second transfer apparatus is configured such that a container can bemoved to the support region so as to allow a plurality of the containersto be supported in a stacked state in the support region.

According to this configuration, a container that was removed from thecontainer shelf by the first transfer apparatus can be moved to thesupport region by the second transfer apparatus. Also, a container thatwas moved from the support region by the second transfer apparatus canbe stored on the container shelf by the first transfer apparatus. Also,because the containers are configured to be supported in a stacked statein the support region where the second transfer apparatus loads/unloadsthe containers, a plurality of the containers can be collectivelytransported by the transport vehicle. Therefore, it is possible toefficiently transport the containers to the container shelf using thistransport vehicle, and to efficiently transport the containers from thecontainer shelf using this transport vehicle.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a transport facility in a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a transport vehicle and containershelves in the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the transport vehicle and the container shelvesin the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a side view of the transport vehicle in the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a first transfer apparatus and a secondtransfer apparatus in the first embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a side view of a transport vehicle in a second embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a side view of a transport vehicle in a third embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a side view of a transport vehicle in a fourth embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a side view of a transport vehicle in a fifth embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a side view of the transport vehicle in the fifth embodiment.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION First Embodiment

A first embodiment of a transport facility provided with a plurality oftransport vehicles will be described with reference to the drawings.

As shown in FIG. 1, the transport facility includes a plurality ofcontainer shelves 1 that accommodate containers W, a plurality oftransport vehicles 2 that transport the containers W, a plurality ofpicking units 3 where a worker performs picking work, and a controlapparatus H that controls the plurality of transport vehicles 2.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, each container W is formed by erecting sidewall portions at the periphery of a bottom portion, and is formed in abox shape with an open upper face. A flange portion 6 that protrudesoutward is provided at the upper end of the container W (the upper endof the side wall portion).

The upper end portion of the container W and the lower end portion ofanother container W are configured to be capable of fitting together ina vertical direction Z, and the containers W are configured to becapable of stacking. Incidentally, the containers W are configured suchthat when the containers W are stacked, an accommodating space is formedbetween the bottom portion of one container W and the bottom portion ofanother container W that has been stacked above that one container W,and a container W can be stacked in a state where an article has beenaccommodated in the container W.

As shown in FIG. 2, the container shelf 1 is provided with a pluralityof levels of shelf portions 11 arranged in the vertical direction Z andconfigured to support the containers W. A plurality of the containers Wthat are not stacked can be supported on the shelf portions 11 in astate lined up in a shelf width direction A of the container shelf 1.

As shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of the container shelves 1 are installedin an attitude following along the shelf width direction A (see FIG. 2).Two of the container shelves 1 whose front faces oppose each other areinstalled in a state spaced apart from each other in a shelf depthdirection B (see FIG. 2). An inter-shelf passageway 12 is formed betweenthese two container shelves 1, and the inter-shelf passageway 12 is usedas a passageway through which the transport vehicles 2 travel. Theplurality of container shelves 1 in an attitude following along theshelf width direction A are lined up in the shelf depth direction B, andthe plurality of container shelves 1 are disposed such that a pluralityof the inter-shelf passages 12 are formed. When a transport vehicle 2travels through an inter-shelf passageway 12, the transport vehicle 2travels along the front face of the container shelves 1. Incidentally,an inter-shelf passageway 12 is not formed between two container shelves1 whose rear faces are facing each other.

A direction following along the longitudinal direction of the containershelves 1 is referred to as the shelf width direction A, and a directionperpendicular to the shelf width direction A as viewed from the verticaldirection Z is referred to as the shelf depth direction B. Also, a faceof the container shelf 1 that faces the inter-shelf passageway 12 isreferred to as a front face, and a face on the opposite side as the faceof the container shelf 1 that faces the inter-shelf passageway 12 isreferred to as a rear face.

The shelf portion 11 is provided with a first restriction body 13 and asecond restriction body 14. The first restriction body 13 is provided soas to be positioned on both sides in the shelf depth direction B withrespect to the container W supported by the shelf portion 11, and thesecond restriction body 14 is provided so as to be positioned on bothsides in the shelf width direction A with respect to the container Wsupported by the shelf portion 11. The container W supported by theshelf portion 11 is restricted from moving in the shelf depth directionB by the first restriction body 13, and is restricted from moving in theshelf width direction A by the second restriction body 14.

The picking unit 3 is provided with a receiving unit 16, a picking workunit 17, and a discharging unit 18. In the picking unit 3, when thereceiving unit 16 receives a container W from a transport vehicle 2,that container W is transported to the picking work unit 17. In thepicking work unit 17, picking work to remove a necessary article fromthe container W is performed, and then the container W for which thepicking work has been completed is transported from the picking workunit 17 to the discharging unit 18, and that container W is dischargedfrom the discharging unit 18 to the transport vehicle 2. In this way,the picking unit 3 is configured to be capable of transporting acontainer W that has been received by the receiving unit 16 to thedischarging unit 18 through the picking work unit 17.

As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the transport vehicle 2 is provided with atraveling unit 21 that travels on the floor, a container support portion28 configured to support the containers Win a support region 22, a firsttransfer apparatus 23 that inserts/takes the containers W into/out ofthe container shelves 1, and a second transfer apparatus 24 thatloads/unloads the containers W on/from the support region 22. In thefollowing description of the transport vehicle 2, in a state where thetransport vehicle 2 is positioned in the inter-shelf passageway 12, thedirection following along the shelf width direction A is referred to asa front-rear direction X, and the direction following along the shelfdepth direction B and perpendicular to the front-rear direction X whenviewed from the vertical direction Z is referred to as a left-rightdirection Y.

The transport vehicle 2 performs carry-out transport and carry-intransport. In the carry-out transport, the transport vehicle 2transports a container W (a carry-out container W2) from the containershelf 1 to the receiving unit 16 of the picking unit 3. In the carry-intransport, the transport vehicle 2 transports a container W (a carry-incontainer W1) from the discharging unit 18 of the picking unit 3 to thecontainer shelf 1. Note that a container W to be accommodated on thecontainer shelf 1 is referred to as the carry-in container W1, and acontainer W that was removed from the container shelf 1 is referred toas the carry-out container W2. In the present embodiment, the supportregion 22 supports only one of the carry-in container W1 and thecarry-out container W2. When supporting only the carry-in container W1in the support region 22, the transport vehicle 2 executes only thecarry-in transport among the carry-in transport and the carry-outtransport, and when supporting only the carry-out container W2 in thesupport region 22, the transport vehicle 2 executes only the carry-outtransport among the carry-in transport and the carry-out transport.

As shown in FIG. 3, the support region 22 is provided at a positionadjacent to an installation region 26 of the second transfer apparatus24 in the horizontal direction. An installation region 25 of the firsttransfer apparatus 23 is provided at a position adjacent to theinstallation region 26 of the second transfer apparatus 24 in thehorizontal direction. More specifically, the support region 22 ispositioned in a state adjacent in a front-rear second direction X2,which is one direction in the front-rear direction X, with respect tothe installation region 26 of the second transfer apparatus 24. Also,the installation region 25 of the first transfer apparatus 23 ispositioned in a state adjacent in a front-rear first direction X1, whichis the other direction in the front-rear direction X, with respect tothe installation region 26 of the second transfer apparatus 24.

The support region 22 has a plurality of stacking regions 27 capable ofsupporting a plurality of the containers W in a stacked state. Morespecifically, the plurality of stacking regions 27 included in thesupport region 22 include a first region 27A where a container W can bedirectly moved by the second transfer apparatus 24, and a second region27B where a container W cannot be directly moved by the second transferapparatus 24. The first region 27A and the second region 27B arearranged in a state adjacent to each other in the front-rear directionX, and the first region 27A is positioned in the front-rear firstdirection X1 with respect to the second region 27B.

Also, the container support portion 28 is configured with a transportapparatus 28A that transports the containers W positioned in the supportregion 22 in the front-rear direction X. In this way, the transportapparatus 28A is provided in the support region 22, and the transportapparatus 28A transports a plurality of the containers W in a stackedstate between the first region 27A and the second region 27B. Therefore,for example, in a case where there are no longer any of the containers Win the first region 27A because the stacked containers W positioned inthe first region 27A were moved one by one by the second transferapparatus 24, it is possible to move the stacked containers W positionedin the second region 27B to the first region 27A using the transportapparatus 28A. Also, for example, in a case where the containers W arestacked up in the first region 27A by the second transfer apparatus 24and a prescribed number of the containers W have been stacked, it ispossible to move those stacked containers W positioned in the firstregion 27A to the second region 27B using the transport apparatus 28A.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the first transfer apparatus 23 is providedwith a first raising/lowering unit 31 capable of being raised/loweredalong a mast 29 erected in the traveling unit 21, a first transfer unit32 supported by the first raising/lowering unit 31, and a first supportportion 33 configured to support the bottom face of a container W frombelow. The first transfer unit 32 is provided with a first fork portion34 that can be extended/withdrawn in the left-right direction Y, and ahook portion 35 that is supported by a tip fork of the first forkportion 34 and moves together with the tip fork. The first fork portion34 is configured to be switchable between a withdrawn state in which thetip fork is withdrawn toward the side of the first raising/lowering unit31 (see FIG. 5), and a protruding state in which the tip fork is causedto protrude in the left-right direction Y from the withdrawn state.Also, the hook portion 35 is configured to be movable between aprotruding position in which the hook portion 35 is caused to protrudeto the side of the first support portion 33 and overlaps the container Won the first support portion 33 when viewed from the left-rightdirection Y, and a withdrawn position in which the hook portion 35 doesnot overlap the container W on the first support portion 33 when viewedfrom the left-right direction Y.

Note that the installation region 25 of the first transfer apparatus 23is a region where the first transfer apparatus 23 exists when viewedfrom the vertical direction Z in a state where the tip fork has beenpositioned at the withdrawn position.

The first transfer apparatus 23 moves the first raising/lowering unit 31in the vertical direction Z to move the container W supported on thefirst support portion 33 together with the first support portion 33 inthe vertical direction Z. Also, by extending/withdrawing the first forkportion 34 in a state where the first support portion 33 is positionedat a transfer height corresponding to the shelf portion 11 and the hookportion 35 is caused to protrude to the protruding position, thecontainer W is moved in the left-right direction Y by the hook portion35, and thus the container W is moved between the first support portion33 and the shelf portion 11.

In this way, the first transfer apparatus 23 is provided with the firstsupport portion 33 (corresponding to a support portion) configured tosupport the container W and is capable of raising/lowering the firstsupport portion 33, and is configured to, in a state where the firstsupport portion 33 has been raised/lowered to a transfer heightcorresponding to a shelf portion 11 to receive the transfer, insert/takethe container W into/out of that shelf portion 11.

Also, the first transfer apparatus 23 moves the container W between thefirst support portion 33 and the receiving unit 16, and between thefirst support portion 33 and the discharging unit 18, similar tomovement of the container W between the first support portion 33 and theshelf portion 11.

As shown in FIG. 4, the first raising/lowering unit 31 is configured tobe capable of being raised/lowered, from a position where the containerW on the first support portion 33 is positioned lower than a lowermostcontainer W on the container support portion 28, to a position where thecontainer W on the first support portion 33 is positioned higher than anuppermost container W when a prescribed number of the containers W havebeen stacked on the container support portion 28. Also, the transferheight corresponding to the lowermost shelf portion 11 is set to theheight where the container W is supported by the first support portion33, at a position lower than the container W arranged lowermost in thesupport region 22.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the second transfer apparatus 24 is providedwith a second raising/lowering unit 41 capable of being raised/loweredalong the mast 29, and a second transfer unit 42 supported by the secondraising/lowering unit 41. The second transfer unit 42 is provided with asecond fork portion 43 that can be extended/withdrawn in the front-reardirection X, and a second holding portion 44 that is provided in a tipfork of the second fork portion 43 and moves together with the tip fork.The second fork portion 43 is configured to be switchable between awithdrawn state withdrawn toward the side of the second raising/loweringunit 41, a first protruding state in which the second fork portion 43 iscaused to protrude in a front-rear first direction X1 of the front-reardirection X from the withdrawn state (see FIG. 5), and a secondprotruding state in which the second fork portion 43 is caused toprotrude in a front-rear second direction X2 of the front-rear directionX from the withdrawn state (see FIG. 4).

Note that the installation region 26 of the second transfer apparatus 24is a region where the second transfer apparatus 24 exists when viewedfrom the vertical direction Z in a state where the second fork portion43 is in the withdrawn state.

In the second transfer apparatus 24, when the second fork portion 43 isin the first protruding state, the container W held by the secondholding portion 44 is positioned directly above a relay region 36, andwhen the second fork portion 43 is in the second protruding state, thecontainer W held by the second holding portion 44 is positioned directlyabove the first region 27A in the support region 22.

The container W is moved between the first region 27A and the firstsupport portion 33 by the movement of the second raising/lowering unit41 in the vertical direction Z and extension/withdrawal of the secondfork portion 43. Specifically, first, the second raising/lowering unit41 is moved in the vertical direction Z such that the second holdingportion 44 is higher than the first support portion 33 and lower thanthe flange portion 6 of the container W supported by the first supportportion 33, and then the second fork portion 43 is caused to protrude tothe first protruding position, and then the second raising/lowering unit41 is raised and the flange portion 6 of the container W is held by thesecond holding portion 44. Next, the second raising/lowering unit 41 ismoved in the vertical direction Z such that the lower end of thecontainer W supported by the second holding portion 44 is higher thanthe upper end of the containers W stacked in the first region 27A (theupper face that supports the containers W of the container supportportion 28 when a container W does not exist in the first region 27A),then the second fork portion 43 is caused to protrude to the secondprotruding position, and then the second raising/lowering unit 41 islowered, and the container W supported by the second holding portion 44is moved to the support region 22.

In this way, the second transfer apparatus 24 is provided with thesecond holding portion 44 that holds a container W from above, and thesecond fork portion 43 that horizontally moves the second holdingportion 44 between an area above the first transfer apparatus 23 and anarea above the support region 22. Also, because a container W that wasmoved to the area above the support region 22 by the second fork portion43 is stacked on the top side of a container W that is already supportedin the support region 22, a plurality of the containers W are supportedin a stacked state in the support region 22.

Also, the second transfer apparatus 24 is configured such that, when acontainer W is held by the second holding portion 44, the second holdingportion 44 is horizontally moved to the side near that container W bythe second fork portion 43, and when holding of a container W by thesecond holding portion 44 is released, the second holding portion 44 ishorizontally moved to the side away from that container W by the secondfork portion 43.

The second transfer apparatus 24 is configured to be capable of moving acontainer W to the support region 22 such that a plurality of thecontainers W are supported in a stacked state in the support region 22.

Note that the second fork portion 43 corresponds to a horizontalmovement mechanism, and the second holding portion 44 corresponds to aholding portion.

Also, the transport vehicle 2 uses the first transfer apparatus 23 tomove the container W from the shelf portion 11, the receiving unit 16,or the discharging unit 18 to the relay region 36 of the first supportportion 33, and uses the second transfer apparatus 24 to move thecontainer W from the relay region 36 of the first support portion 33 tothe first region 27A of the stacking region 27. Also, the transportvehicle 2 uses the second transfer apparatus 24 to move the container Wfrom the first region 27A of the stacking region 27 to the relay region36 of the first support portion 33, and uses the first transferapparatus 23 to move the container W from the relay region 36 of thefirst support portion 33 to the shelf portion 11, the receiving unit 16,or the discharging unit 18. As described above, the transport vehicle 2is provided with, in addition to the support region 22, the relay region36 configured to support the container W. Also, the first transferapparatus 23 moves the container W between the container shelf 1 and therelay region 36 (the first support portion 33), and the second transferapparatus 24 moves the container W between the relay region 36 (thefirst support portion 33) and the support region 22. Note that thesecond holding portion 44 corresponds to a holding portion configured tohold the container W from above. Also, the second fork portion 43corresponds to a horizontal movement mechanism that moves the holdingportion in the horizontal direction between the area above the firsttransfer apparatus 23 and the area above the support region 22.

As shown in FIG. 1, the control apparatus H sets a travel route R of aplurality of the transport vehicles 2 and controls the transportvehicles 2 such that the plurality of transport vehicles 2 travel alongthe travel route R. The travel route R has a route that follows alongthe shelf width direction A and a route along the shelf depth directionB, and the control apparatus H controls the transport vehicles 2 totravel along the travel route R in one direction. Therefore, in theinter-shelf passageway 12 formed between two of the container shelves 1,the traveling direction of the transport vehicles 2 is one direction.Also, for example, when transporting the containers W between a targetpicking unit 3A that is one of the plurality of picking units 3, and atarget container shelf 1A that is one of the plurality of containershelves 1, the control apparatus H controls the transport vehicles 2 totravel along the travel route R indicated by the thick solid line inFIG. 1.

Note that, in FIG. 1, the travel route R of the transport vehicles 2 isindicated by dashed-dotted lines and the thick solid line. Also, in FIG.1, the traveling direction of the transport vehicles 2 is indicated byarrows.

2. Second Embodiment

Next, a second embodiment of the transport vehicle 2 will be describedwith reference to FIG. 6. In the present embodiment, the configurationof the transport vehicle 2 is different than the configuration in thefirst embodiment. Below, the transport vehicle 2 according to thepresent embodiment will be described with a focus on differences fromthe first embodiment. Note that points not particularly described hereare the same as in the first embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 6, the support region 22 is provided at a positionadjacent to the installation region 25 of the first transfer apparatus23 in the horizontal direction. More specifically, the support region 22has a plurality of the stacking regions 27 where a plurality of thecontainers W in a stacked state can be supported. Specifically, theplurality of stacking regions 27 included in the support region 22include a carry-in region 27C where a container W (a carry-in containerW1) planned to be stored on a container shelf 1 can be supported, and acarry-out region 27D where a container W (a carry-out container W2) thatwas removed from a container shelf 1 can be supported. Also, thecarry-out region 27D is positioned in a state adjacent to theinstallation region 25 of the first transfer apparatus 23 in thefront-rear first direction X1. Also, the carry-in region 27C ispositioned in a state adjacent to the installation region 25 of thefirst transfer apparatus 23 in the front-rear second direction X2.

As described above, in the present embodiment, both the carry-incontainer W1 and the carry-out container W2 are supported in the supportregion 22. Therefore, the transport vehicle 2 can execute both carry-intransport and carry-out transport in parallel. That is, this transportvehicle 2 can perform both carry-in transport and carry-out transport inparallel in one instance of back-and-forth movement between the pickingunit 3 and the container shelf 1 (see FIG. 1).

As shown in FIG. 6, the second transfer apparatus 24 is provided with amoving portion 52 that is movable in the front-rear direction X along amovement rail 51, and a third holding portion 53 that is suspended fromand supported by the moving portion 52. The third holding portion 53 isprovided with a holding fixture 54 whose position can be changed betweena holding position where the container W is held and a release positionwhere holding of the container W is released, and a drive unit (notshown) that changes the position of the holding fixture 54 between theholding position and the release position. The moving portion 52 isconfigured to be movable between a first position where the container Wheld by the third holding portion 53 is positioned directly above thefirst transfer apparatus 23, a second position where the container Wheld by the third holding portion 53 is positioned directly above thecarry-in region 27C, and a third position where the container W held bythe third holding portion 53 is positioned directly above the carry-outregion 27D.

The second transfer apparatus 24, by moving the moving portion 52 in thefront-rear direction X and moving the third holding portion 53 in thevertical direction Z, moves the container W from the first supportportion 33 to the carry-in region 27C, and moves the container W fromthe carry-out region 27D to the first support portion 33. Specifically,when moving the container W from the first support portion 33 to thecarry-in region 27C, first, the moving portion 52 is moved to the firstposition, and then the third holding portion 53 is lowered and theposition of the holding fixture 54 is changed from the release positionto the holding position, and then the third holding portion 53 is raisedand the flange portion 6 of the container W is held by the third holdingportion 53. Next, after the moving portion 52 is moved to the secondposition, the third holding portion 53 is lowered, the position of theholding fixture 54 is changed from the holding position to the releaseposition, and then the container W is moved to the support region 22.When moving the container W from the carry-out region 27D to the firstsupport portion 33, this can be executed by changing the stoppingposition of the moving portion 52.

Thus, the second transfer apparatus 24 is configured such that, byswitching the position of the holding fixture 54 between the holdingposition and the release position, it is possible to switch the holdingstate for the container W to be transferred without horizontally movingthe third holding portion 53 with respect to that container W with themoving portion 52. Also, the second transfer apparatus 24 is configuredsuch that it is possible to directly move the container W with respectto both the carry-in region 27C and the carry-out region 27D.

Note that the third holding portion 53 corresponds to a holding portionconfigured to hold the container W from above. Also, the moving portion52 corresponds to a horizontal movement mechanism that moves the holdingportion in the horizontal direction between the area above the firsttransfer apparatus 23 and the area above the support region 22.

3. Third Embodiment

Next, a third embodiment of the transport vehicle 2 will be describedwith reference to FIG. 7. In the present embodiment, the configurationof the transport vehicle 2 is different than the configuration in thefirst embodiment. Below, the transport vehicle 2 according to thepresent embodiment will be described with a focus on differences fromthe first embodiment. Note that points not particularly described hereare the same as in the first embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 7, the support region 22 has only one stacking region27 where a plurality of the containers W in a stacked state can besupported. The support region 22 is provided at a position adjacent tothe installation region 25 of the first transfer apparatus 23 in thefront-rear second direction X2.

A first mast 29A and a second mast 29B are erected on the traveling unit21, and the first transfer apparatus 23 moves in the vertical directionZ along the first mast 29A.

The second transfer apparatus 24 is provided with a base 62 fixed to asupport frame 61, a third raising/lowering unit 63 that is suspendedfrom and supported by the base 62 and moves in the vertical direction Zalong the second mast 29B, and a third transfer unit 64 supported by thethird raising/lowering unit 63. The third transfer unit 64 is providedwith a third fork portion 65 that can be extended/withdrawn in thefront-rear direction X, and a third holding portion 66 that is supportedby a tip fork of the third fork portion 65 and moves together with thetip fork. The third holding portion 66 is provided with a holdingfixture whose position can be changed between a holding position wherethe container W is held and a release position where holding of thecontainer W is released, and a drive unit (not shown) that changes theposition of the holding fixture between the holding position and therelease position.

The third fork portion 65 is configured to be switchable between awithdrawn state withdrawn toward the side of the third raising/loweringunit 63, and a protruding state in which the third fork portion 65 iscaused to protrude in the front-rear first direction X1 from thewithdrawn state (see FIG. 7). When the third fork portion 65 is set inthe protruding state, the container W held by the third holding portion66 is positioned directly above the first support portion 33, and whenthe third fork portion 65 is set in the withdrawn state, the container Wheld by the second holding portion 44 is positioned directly above thesupport region 22.

The container W is moved between the support region 22 and the firstsupport portion 33 by the movement of the third raising/lowering unit 63in the vertical direction Z and the extension/withdrawal of the thirdfork portion 65. Specifically, first, from a state in which the thirdraising/lowering unit 63 was moved to a position higher than thecontainer W supported by the first support portion 33, the third forkportion 65 is switched to the protruding state, and after lowering thethird raising/lowering unit 63 and changing the position of the thirdholding portion 66 to the holding position, the third raising/loweringunit 63 is raised, and the flange portion 6 of the container W is heldby the third holding portion 66. Next, the third fork portion 65 isswitched to the withdrawn state, the third raising/lowering unit 63 islowered and the position of the third holding portion 66 is changed tothe release position, and the container W that was supported by thethird holding portion 66 is moved to the support region 22.

Note that the third holding portion 66 corresponds to a holding portionconfigured to hold the container W from above. Also, the third forkportion 65 corresponds to a horizontal movement mechanism that moves theholding portion in the horizontal direction between the area above thefirst transfer apparatus 23 and the area above the support region 22.

4. Fourth Embodiment

Next, a fourth embodiment of the transport vehicle 2 will be describedwith reference to FIG. 8. In the present embodiment, the configurationof the transport vehicle 2 is different than the configuration in thefirst embodiment. Below, the transport vehicle 2 according to thepresent embodiment will be described with a focus on differences fromthe first embodiment. Note that points not particularly described hereare the same as in the first embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 8, the support region 22 is provided at a positionadjacent to the installation region 25 of the first transfer apparatus23 in the horizontal direction. More specifically, the support region 22has a plurality of the stacking regions 27 where a plurality of thecontainers W in a stacked state can be supported. Specifically, theplurality of stacking regions 27 included in the support region 22include the carry-in region 27C where the carry-in containers W1 can besupported, and the carry-out region 27D where the carry-out containersW2 can be supported. Also, the carry-out region 27D is positioned in astate adjacent to the installation region 25 of the first transferapparatus 23 in the front-rear first direction X1. Also, the carry-inregion 27C is positioned in a state adjacent to the installation region25 of the first transfer apparatus 23 in the front-rear second directionX2. In the present embodiment, both the carry-in containers W1 and thecarry-out containers W2 are supported in the support region 22.Therefore, the transport vehicle 2 can execute both carry-in transportand carry-out transport in parallel. That is, this transport vehicle 2can perform both carry-in transport and carry-out transport in parallelin one instance of back-and-forth movement between the picking unit 3and the container shelf 1 (see FIG. 1).

The first mast 29A and the second mast 29B are erected on the travelingunit 21, and the first transfer apparatus 23 moves in the verticaldirection Z along the first mast 29A.

The transport vehicle 2 is provided with two of the second transferapparatuses 24, namely a carry-out second transfer apparatus 24A thatmoves in the vertical direction Z along the first mast 29A, and acarry-in second transfer apparatus 24B that moves in the verticaldirection Z along the second mast 29B.

The carry-in second transfer apparatus 24B is provided with araising/lowering unit 71 that is capable of being raised/lowered alongthe second mast 29B, and a transfer unit 72 supported by theraising/lowering unit 71. The transfer unit 72 is provided with a fourthfork portion 73 that can be extended/withdrawn in the front-reardirection X, and a fourth holding portion 74 that is supported by a tipfork of the fourth fork portion 73 and moves together with the tip fork.Similar to the carry-in second transfer apparatus 24B, the carry-outsecond transfer apparatus 24A is provided with a raising/lowering unit71 and a transfer unit 72. The carry-in second transfer apparatus 24Bmoves a container W between the first support portion 33 (the firsttransfer apparatus 23) and the carry-in region 27C by the movement ofthe raising/lowering unit 71 in the vertical direction Z andextension/withdrawal of the fourth fork portion 73. Also, the carry-outsecond transfer apparatus 24A moves a container W between the firstsupport portion 33 (the first transfer apparatus 23) and the carry-outregion 27D by the movement of the raising/lowering unit 71 in thevertical direction Z and extension/withdrawal of the fourth fork portion73.

Note that the fourth holding portion 74 corresponds to a holding portionconfigured to hold the container W from above. Also, the fourth forkportion 73 corresponds to a horizontal movement mechanism that moves theholding portion in the horizontal direction between the area above thefirst transfer apparatus 23 and the area above the support region 22.

5. Fifth Embodiment

Next, a fifth embodiment of the transport vehicle 2 will be describedwith reference to FIGS. 9 and 10. In the present embodiment, theconfiguration of the transport vehicle 2 is different than theconfiguration in the first embodiment. Below, the transport vehicle 2according to the present embodiment will be described with a focus ondifferences from the first embodiment. Note that points not particularlydescribed here are the same as in the first embodiment.

As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the support region 22 has only one stackingregion 27 where a plurality of the containers W in a stacked state canbe supported. The support region 22 is provided with a lifting mechanism81 that lifts any container W among the containers W stacked in thesupport region 22 with respect to the containers W below that anycontainer W. In the present embodiment, the lifting mechanism lifts thesecond container W from the bottom among the containers W stacked in thesupport region 22 with respect to the first container W from the bottom.The lifting mechanism 81 is provided with a raising/lowering body 82that moves in the vertical direction Z, and a locking portion 83provided at the upper end of the raising/lowering body 82. In thepresent embodiment, both the carry-in containers W1 and the carry-outcontainers W2 are supported in the support region 22. Therefore, thetransport vehicle 2 can execute both carry-in transport and carry-outtransport in parallel. That is, this transport vehicle 2 can performboth carry-in transport and carry-out transport in parallel in oneinstance of back-and-forth movement between the picking unit 3 and thecontainer shelf 1 (see FIG. 1).

The locking portion 83 of the lifting mechanism 81 is configured to bemovable between a support position where a part of the locking portion83 overlaps the flange portion 6 of the containers W stacked in thesupport region 22 when viewed from the vertical direction Z, and anavoidance position where the locking portion 83 does not overlap theflange portion 6 of the stacked containers W. Also, after moving theraising/lowering body 82 such that the locking portion 83 is positionedbetween the flange portion 6 of the lowermost container W and the flangeportion 6 of the second-lowest container W from the bottom, the flangeportion 6 is moved to the support position, and then, by moving theraising/lowering body 82 upward, the second and higher levels among thestacked containers W can be lifted by the lifting mechanism 81.

After the lowermost container W remaining in the support region 22 ismoved from the support region 22 by lifting the second and higher levelsof the containers W with the transfer apparatus 84 as described above,by then moving the raising/lowering body 82 downward, it is possible toload the second-lowest container W from the bottom as the lowermostcontainer W in the support region 22.

As the first transfer apparatus 23 and the second transfer apparatus 24,the transport vehicle 2 is provided with a transfer apparatus 84 thatserves as both the first transfer apparatus 23 and the second transferapparatus 24. The transfer apparatus 84 is provided with araising/lowering unit 85 capable of being raised/lowered along the mast29, a fifth transfer unit 86 supported by the raising/lowering unit 85,and a rotating portion 87 that rotates the fifth transfer unit 86 arounda vertical axis in the vertical direction Z. The fifth transfer unit 86is provided with a fifth fork portion 88, and a hook portion 89 that issupported by a tip fork of the fifth fork portion 88 and moves togetherwith the tip fork.

The fifth fork portion 88 is configured to be switchable between awithdrawn state in which the tip fork is withdrawn toward the side ofthe raising/lowering unit 85, and a protruding state in which the tipfork is caused to protrude from the withdrawn state. In the secondtransfer apparatus 24 (the transfer apparatus 84), by rotation of therotating portion 87, the extended/withdrawn direction of the fifth forkportion 88 can be changed between a state extended/withdrawn in thefront-rear direction X (the state indicated by a solid line in FIGS. 9and 10), and a state extended/withdrawn in the left-right direction Y(the state indicated by a virtual line in FIGS. 9 and 10). In the statewhere the fifth fork portion 88 is extended/withdrawn in the front-reardirection X, by extending/withdrawing the fifth fork portion 88, it ispossible to move a container W between the first support portion 33 andthe support region 22. On the other hand, in the state where the fifthfork portion 88 is extended/withdrawn in the left-right direction Y, byextending/withdrawing the fifth fork portion 88, it is possible to movea container W between the first support portion 33 and the containershelf 1, the receiving unit 16, or the discharging unit 18.

Also, in a state where a container W has not been lifted by the liftingmechanism 81, the transfer apparatus 84 stacks a container W (acarry-out container W2) that was removed from a container shelf 1 ontothe containers W in a stacked state supported in the support region 22,and also, in a state where the second container W from the bottom hasbeen lifted by the lifting mechanism 81, the transfer apparatus 84stores the lowermost container W (a carry-in container W1) positioned inthe support region 22 on the container shelf 1. Also, in a state where acontainer W has not been lifted by the lifting mechanism 81, thetransfer apparatus 84 stacks a container W (a carry-in container W1)that was discharged from the discharging unit 18 onto the containers Win a stacked state supported in the support region 22, and also, in astate where the second container W from the bottom has been lifted bythe lifting mechanism 81, the transfer apparatus 84 moves the lowermostcontainer W (a carry-out container W2) positioned in the support region22 to the receiving unit 16.

Note that, for example, a configuration may also be adopted in which, ina state where the lowermost container W has been lifted by the liftingmechanism 81, the transfer apparatus 84 moves a container W (a carry-outcontainer W2) that was removed from a container shelf 1 to the supportregion 22 as the lowermost container W in the support region, and in astate where a container W has not been lifted by the lifting mechanism81, the transfer apparatus 84 stores the uppermost container W (acarry-in container W1) among the containers W in a stacked state on thecontainer shelf 1, such that the stacking order is exchanged between thecarry-in containers W1 and the carry-out containers W2.

6. Other Embodiments

Next, other embodiments of the transport vehicle and the transportfacility will be described.

(1) In the above first to fourth embodiments, a configuration is adoptedin which the second transfer apparatus 24 moves a container W betweenthe support region 22 and the first support portion 33 of the firsttransfer apparatus 23, and the container W is directly transferred bythe first transfer apparatus 23 and the second transfer apparatus 24.However, a configuration may also be adopted in which the transfervehicle 2 is provided with the relay region 36 at a location other thanthe first support portion 33, the transfer apparatus 23 moves thecontainer W between the container shelf 1 and the relay region 36, andthe second transfer apparatus 24 moves the container W between the relayregion 36 and the support region 22.

(2) In the above fifth embodiment, a configuration is adopted in whichthe container support portion 28 is not provided with a function totransport stacked containers. However, a configuration may also beadopted in which the container support portion 28 is configured with aconveyor, and is provided with a function to transport a stackedcontainer W. Specifically, a configuration may be adopted in which thecontainer support portion 28 is configured with a conveyor, and in astate in which the transport vehicle 2 has been stopped adjacent to thereceiving unit 16 or the discharging unit 18, by operation of theconveyor, a stacked container W is transported from the containersupport portion 28 to the receiving unit 16 or the discharging unit 18,or a stacked container W is transported from the receiving unit 16 orthe discharging unit 18 to the container support portion 28.

(3) In the above embodiments, the control apparatus H virtually sets thetravel route R and controls the transport vehicle 2 so as to travelalong that travel route R, but a configuration may also be adopted inwhich a travel rail is installed along the travel route R, and thetransport vehicle 2 travels on that travel rail.

(4) In the above embodiments, the container W is a container with anopen upper face, but it is sufficient that the container W is stackable,and for example, the container W may be a folding container or the likewith a lid attached to the upper face of the container such that the lidcan be opened/closed.

(5) It should be noted that the configurations disclosed in each of theabove embodiments can be applied in combination with the configurationsdisclosed in other embodiments as long as no contradiction arises.Regarding those other configurations as well, the embodiments disclosedin the present specification are merely examples in all respects.Accordingly, various modifications can be made as appropriate in a rangethat does not depart from the gist of the present disclosure.

7. Summary of the Above Embodiments

Following is a summary of the transport vehicle and the transportfacility described above.

A transport vehicle travels along a front face of a container shelfprovided with a plurality of levels of shelf portions arranged in avertical direction and configured to support containers, therebytransporting the containers. The containers are configured to bestackable in the vertical direction, and the transport vehicle isprovided with a support region where a container is supported, a firsttransfer apparatus that inserts/takes the container into/out of thecontainer shelf, and a second transfer apparatus that loads/unloads thecontainer on/from the support region. The second transfer apparatus isconfigured such that a container can be moved to the support region soas to allow a plurality of the containers to be supported in a stackedstate in the support region.

According to this configuration, a container that was removed from thecontainer shelf by the first transfer apparatus can be moved to thesupport region by the second transfer apparatus. Also, a container thatwas moved from the support region by the second transfer apparatus canbe stored on the container shelf by the first transfer apparatus. Also,because the containers are configured to be supported in a stacked statein the support region where the second transfer apparatus loads/unloadsthe containers, a plurality of the containers can be collectivelytransported by the transport vehicle. Therefore, it is possible toefficiently transport the containers to the container shelf using thistransport vehicle, and to efficiently transport the containers from thecontainer shelf using this transport vehicle.

Also, it is suitable to adopt a configuration in which the secondtransfer apparatus is provided with a holding portion that holds acontainer from above, and a horizontal movement mechanism thathorizontally moves the holding portion between an area above the firsttransfer apparatus and an area above the support region, and a containerthat was moved to the area above the support region by the horizontalmovement mechanism is stacked on the top side of a container that isalready supported in the support region, whereby a plurality of thecontainers are supported in a stacked state in the support region.

According to this configuration, the holding portion is moved to thearea above the first transfer apparatus by the horizontal movementmechanism and the container that was removed from the container shelf bythe first transfer apparatus is held by the holding portion, and thenthe holding portion is moved to the area above the support region by thehorizontal movement mechanism and the container that was being held bythe holding portion can be stacked on the top side of the containersbeing supported in the support region. In this case, it is easy to adopta configuration in which the container is directly transferred betweenthe first transfer apparatus and the second transfer apparatus, and insuch a configuration, furthermore, the container can be smoothlytransferred between the first transfer apparatus and the second transferapparatus.

Also, it is suitable to adopt a configuration in which the secondtransfer apparatus is configured such that, when holding the containerwith the holding portion, the holding portion is horizontally moved to aside near that container by the horizontal movement mechanism, and whenholding of the container by the holding portion is released, the holdingportion is horizontally moved to a side away from that container by thehorizontal movement mechanism.

According to this configuration, using the movement of the holdingportion by the horizontal movement mechanism, it is possible to hold thecontainer with the holding portion and to release holding of thecontainer by the holding portion, so it is not necessary to provide adedicated mechanism for releasing holding of the container by theholding portion, and therefore it is possible to simplify theconfiguration of the second transfer apparatus.

Also, it is suitable to adopt a configuration in which the holdingportion is provided with a holding fixture whose position can be changedbetween a holding position where the container is held and a releaseposition where holding of the container is released, and the secondtransfer apparatus is configured such that, by switching the position ofthe holding fixture between the holding position and the releaseposition, it is possible to switch the holding state for the containerto be transferred without horizontally moving the holding portion withrespect to that container with the horizontal movement mechanism.

According to this configuration, by moving the holding portion in thehorizontal direction with the horizontal movement mechanism in a statewhere the holding portion has been positioned at the release position,it is easy to avoid a situation where the holding portion, which movesin the horizontal direction, makes contact with the container. Also, bychanging the position of the holding portion to the holding position ina state where the holding portion has been positioned at a positioncorresponding to the container, it is possible to hold the containerwith the holding portion.

Also, it is suitable to adopt a configuration in which the transportvehicle includes a transfer apparatus that serves as both the firsttransfer apparatus and the second transfer apparatus.

According to this configuration, the transfer apparatus is provided withthe function of the first transfer apparatus and the function of thesecond transfer apparatus, so it is not necessary to transfer thecontainer between the first transfer apparatus and the second transferapparatus as in the case of a configuration where the first transferapparatus and the second transfer apparatus are configured separately,and therefore it is possible to smoothly move the container between thecontainer shelf and the support region. Also, the size of the transportvehicle can be more easily reduced than in a case where the firsttransfer apparatus and the second transfer apparatus are provided as twoapparatuses.

Also, it is suitable to adopt a configuration in which the supportregion is provided at a position adjacent to an installation region ofthe first transfer apparatus in a horizontal direction.

According to this configuration, it is possible to install the firsttransfer apparatus near the support region. Therefore, when using thesecond transfer apparatus to move a container that was removed from acontainer shelf by the first transfer apparatus to the support region,the movement distance of that container can be shortened and as a resultthe time needed to move the container with the second transfer apparatuscan be shortened.

Also, it is suitable to adopt a configuration in which the supportregion has a plurality of stacking regions capable of supporting aplurality of the containers in a stacked state.

According to this configuration, it is possible to support containersstacked in each of the plurality of stacking regions, so it is possibleto support more containers in the support region than in a case whereonly one stacking region is provided, and as a result it is possible tofurther increase the efficiency of transporting the containers with thetransport vehicle.

Also, it is suitable to adopt a configuration in which the plurality ofstacking regions include a first region where the container can bedirectly moved by the second transfer apparatus, and a second regionwhere the container cannot be directly moved by the second transferapparatus, and a transport apparatus that transports a plurality of thecontainers in a stacked state between the first region and the secondregion is provided in the support region.

According to this configuration, a container that has been moved to thefirst region by the second transfer apparatus can be moved to the secondregion by the transport apparatus. That is, by moving the container toonly the first region among the first region and the second region, thesecond transfer apparatus can directly move the container to the firstregion, and the second transfer apparatus can indirectly move thecontainer to the second region. Also, because the second transferapparatus does not need to be provided with a function to move thecontainer to the second region, it is possible to simplify theconfiguration of the second transfer apparatus.

Also, it is suitable to adopt a configuration in which the plurality ofstacking regions include a carry-out region where a container that wasremoved from the container shelf can be supported, and a carry-in regionwhere a container planned to be stored on the container shelf can besupported, and the second transfer apparatus is configured such that itis possible to directly move the container with respect to both thecarry-out region and the carry-in region.

According to this configuration, in a state where a container that wasremoved from a container shelf is supported in the carry-out region, itis possible to move a container to be stored on a container shelf fromthe carry-in region using the second transfer apparatus. Also, in astate where a container to be stored on a container shelf is beingsupported in the carry-in region, it is possible to move a containerthat was removed from a container shelf to the carry-out region usingthe second transfer apparatus. In this way, removal of a container froma container shelf and storage of a container on a container shelf can beperformed in parallel, so it is possible to further increase theefficiency of transporting the containers with the transport vehicle.

Also, it is suitable to adopt a configuration in which the supportregion is provided with a lifting mechanism that lifts a container atany height among the containers stacked in the support region withrespect to a container below that container.

According to this configuration, using the lifting mechanism, in a statewhere some stacked containers remain in the support region, it ispossible to lift a container at any height among the stacked containers.Therefore, the second transfer apparatus can move a container thatremains in the support region from the support region. That is, thesecond transfer apparatus can load a container on the uppermost stackedcontainer, and can move a container that remains in the support regionfrom the support region. Therefore, for example, the second transferapparatus can move a container that was removed from a container shelfto the support region, and can move a container to be stored on acontainer shelf from the support region, or the like, and as a result itis possible to increase the efficiency of transporting the containerswith the transport vehicle.

Also, it is suitable to adopt a configuration in which the firsttransfer apparatus is provided with a support portion configured tosupport the container and is capable of raising/lowering the supportportion, and the first transfer apparatus is configured to, in a statein which the support portion has been raised/lowered to a transferheight corresponding to the shelf portion to receive the transfer,insert/take the container into/out of that shelf portion, and thetransfer height corresponding to the lowermost shelf portion is set to aheight where the container is supported by the support portion, at aposition lower than the container arranged lowermost in the supportregion.

According to this configuration, the height of the support portion wheninserting/taking out a container into/out of the lowermost shelf portioncan be set to comparatively low height. Therefore, it is possible toreduce the height of the lowermost shelf portion, and therefore, forexample, it is possible to increase the number of levels of shelfportions that are lined up in the vertical direction in a containershelf, and as a result it is possible to increase the container shelfstorage efficiency.

A transport facility is provided with a plurality of the transportvehicles. This transport facility includes a plurality of the containershelves, and a control apparatus that sets a travel route of theplurality of transport vehicles. In this configuration, a passageway ofthe transport vehicles formed between two of the container shelvesadjacent in a shelf depth direction serves as an inter-shelf passageway,and the plurality of container shelves are arranged such that aplurality of the inter-shelf passageways are formed. The controlapparatus sets a travel route of each of the transport vehicles suchthat a travel direction of the transport vehicles in each of theinter-shelf passageways is one direction.

According to this configuration, by forming an inter-shelf passagewaybetween two container shelves, a transport vehicle that travels throughthe inter-shelf passageway is able to insert/take containers into/out ofboth of the two container shelves that exist on both sides in adirection perpendicular to the travel route. Also, because the travelroute is set such the travel direction of the transport vehicle is onedirection, it is possible to allow a plurality of the transport vehiclesto travel smoothly.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

The technology according to the present disclosure is applicable to atransport vehicle that transports a container.

DESCRIPTION OF REFERENCE SIGNS

-   -   1: container shelf    -   2: transport vehicle    -   11: shelf portion    -   12: inter-shelf passageway    -   22: support region    -   23: first transfer apparatus    -   24: second transfer apparatus    -   25: installation region    -   26: installation region    -   27: stacking region    -   27A: first region    -   27B: second region    -   43: second fork portion (horizontal movement mechanism)    -   44: second holding portion (holding portion)    -   65: third fork portion (horizontal movement mechanism)    -   66: third holding portion (holding portion)    -   73: fourth fork portion (horizontal movement mechanism)    -   74: fourth holding portion (holding portion)    -   81: lifting mechanism    -   84: transfer apparatus    -   H: control apparatus    -   R: travel route    -   W: container    -   Z: vertical direction

1. A transport vehicle that travels along a front face of a containershelf provided with a plurality of levels of shelf portions arranged ina vertical direction and configured to support containers, therebytransporting the containers, the containers configured to be stackablein the vertical direction, and the transport vehicle comprising: asupport region where a container is supported; a first transferapparatus that inserts/takes the container into/out of the containershelf; and a second transfer apparatus that loads/unloads the containeron/from the support region; wherein the second transfer apparatus isconfigured such that a container can be moved to the support region soas to allow a plurality of the containers to be supported in a stackedstate in the support region.
 2. The transport vehicle according to claim1, wherein the second transfer apparatus is provided with a holdingportion that holds a container from above, and a horizontal movementmechanism that horizontally moves the holding portion between an areaabove the first transfer apparatus and an area above the support region,and wherein a container that was moved to the area above the supportregion by the horizontal movement mechanism is stacked on the top sideof a container that is already supported in the support region, wherebya plurality of the containers are supported in a stacked state in thesupport region.
 3. The transport vehicle according to claim 2, whereinthe second transfer apparatus is configured such that, when holding thecontainer with the holding portion, the holding portion is horizontallymoved to a side near that container by the horizontal movementmechanism, and when holding of the container by the holding portion isreleased, the holding portion is horizontally moved to a side away fromthat container by the horizontal movement mechanism.
 4. The transportvehicle according to claim 2, wherein the holding portion is providedwith a holding fixture whose position can be changed between a holdingposition where the container is held and a release position whereholding of the container is released, and wherein the second transferapparatus is configured such that, by switching the position of theholding fixture between the holding position and the release position,it is possible to switch the holding state for the container to betransferred without horizontally moving the holding portion with respectto that container with the horizontal movement mechanism.
 5. Thetransport vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising a transferapparatus that serves as both the first transfer apparatus and thesecond transfer apparatus.
 6. The transport vehicle according to claim1, wherein the support region is provided at a position adjacent to aninstallation region of the first transfer apparatus in a horizontaldirection.
 7. The transport vehicle according to claim 1, wherein thesupport region has a plurality of stacking regions capable of supportinga plurality of the containers in a stacked state.
 8. The transportvehicle according to claim 7, wherein the plurality of stacking regionsinclude a first region where the container can be directly moved by thesecond transfer apparatus, and a second region where the containercannot be directly moved by the second transfer apparatus, and wherein atransport apparatus that transports a plurality of the containers in astacked state between the first region and the second region is providedin the support region.
 9. The transport vehicle according to claim 7,wherein the plurality of stacking regions include a carry-out regionwhere a container that was removed from the container shelf can besupported, and a carry-in region where a container planned to be storedon the container shelf can be supported, and wherein the second transferapparatus is configured such that it is possible to directly move thecontainer with respect to both the carry-out region and the carry-inregion.
 10. The transport vehicle according to claim 1, wherein thesupport region is provided with a lifting mechanism that lifts acontainer at any height among the containers stacked in the supportregion with respect to a container below that container.
 11. A transportvehicle according to claim 1, wherein the first transfer apparatus isprovided with a support portion configured to support the container andis capable of raising/lowering the support portion, and the firsttransfer apparatus is configured to, in a state in which the supportportion has been raised/lowered to a transfer height corresponding tothe shelf portion to receive the transfer, insert/take the containerinto/out of that shelf portion, and wherein the transfer heightcorresponding to the lowermost shelf portion is set to a height wherethe container is supported by the support portion, at a position lowerthan the container arranged lowermost in the support region.
 12. Atransport facility provided with a plurality of the transport vehiclesaccording to claim 1, the transport facility comprising: a plurality ofthe container shelves; and a control apparatus that sets a travel routeof the plurality of transport vehicles; wherein a passageway of thetransport vehicles formed between two of the container shelves adjacentin a shelf depth direction serves as an inter-shelf passageway, and theplurality of container shelves are arranged such that a plurality of theinter-shelf passageways are formed, and wherein the control apparatussets a travel route of each of the transport vehicles such that a traveldirection of the transport vehicles in each of the inter-shelfpassageways is one direction.